Isaac Anin Baah, a visually impaired PhD applicant whose admission was withdrawn twice by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has sued the university for discrimination and neglect in its admissions processes.

His suspicion of unfairness is fueled by the fact that he acquitted himself creditably while he pursued a Master of Science (MSc) in Disability and Rehabilitation Studies under the same faculty at the same university.

Isaac states in a writ filed at a high court in Kumasi that he has been compelled to appeal to the courts to come to his defense following a series of letters written by his lawyers seeking explanations for the grounds of revocation of his admission, to no avail.

It indicates, “Plaintiff states that his lawyer wrote several letters to the Defendants demanding grounds for the revocation of his admission letter, but Defendants have willfully failed to respond to the same.

Plaintiff believes that the revocation of his offer of admission is unjust and unless this honorable court intervenes, he will be denied admission and suffer unjust treatment from the Defendants. Plaintiff states that the list of admitted students as published on the website of the 4th Defendant includes his name and, in fact, Plaintiff’s name is first on the list.”

Isaac, who has consequently lost a scholarship package from his sponsors, is seeking a number of reliefs, including a cost of one million Ghana cedis for the distressing situation he has been subjected to, as well as the loss of an opportunity to pursue his academic goals.

Represented by ROSEFORD ADVOCATES, his lawyer Carruthers Tetteh is citing discrimination and neglect with breaches to the Persons with Disability Act 2006, and Act 715, among others.

Isaac Anin Baah, who is himself an educationist and a professional teacher at the Nkwanta Kese Methodist Junior High School, is further questioning the commitment of the university to the Salamanca Statement on inclusive education and Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which ensures inclusive and equitable quality education.

Background:

Isaac, who applied to pursue a PhD in Public Health for the 2023–2024 academic year, recounts having received official admission letters from the offices of the Registrar and the Dean of the School of Public Health with further instructions on medicals, fee payment, an invitation to attend an interview session, and subsequent to another letter giving him the green light to attend student orientation.

Apart from being issued officially signed admission letters that bore Isaac’s picture and full admission details on the letterheads of KNUST, the university published on its website a joint list of all students admitted to PhD studies for the 2023–2024 academic year and a separate list specifically for admissions to the Department of Public Health, both capturing Isaac Anin Baah’s name.

According to a writ filed at a high court in Kumasi, “Isaac received a letter from the 3rd Defendant on November 13, 2023, instructing him not to attend the interview with no valid reason given.”

The Plaintiff states that on December 22, 2023, he subsequently received a letter of admission instructing him to pursue the program; he acknowledged the same and received a message from KNUST acknowledging receipt of his acceptance of the admission letter.

“Plaintiff states that he later received a surprisingly unexpected call from the Secretary of the 3rd Defendant informing him that his admission was an error and therefore invalid,” the writ added.

The writ underscores, “revoking an admission offer to the Plaintiff without any stated reasons, justifications, or grounds raises concerns of discrimination based on his disability.”

It further points out, “a Ghanaian citizen with visual impairment seeking to pursue a PhD with the Defendants should not be met by these unfortunate events but rather, should be provided with an enabling environment and support to encourage other persons with disabilities to defy all odds to achieve their dreams.”

Reliefs:

The class action jointly robes in KNUST as an institution, the Registrar, the Dean of the School of Public Health, and the Dean of Graduate School, whose actions the plaintiff says contributed to the alleged unwarranted refusal of admission. The plaintiff is demanding:

a. A declaration that Defendants have been negligent in handling Plaintiff’s application.

b. A declaration that Defendants have failed to exercise due diligence in handling Plaintiff’s application.

c. An order for compensation of one million Ghana cedis to be paid to the Plaintiff for negligence with legal costs.

d. Any order the honorable court may deem fit.

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